Willamette Heritage Center includes numerous buildings including the Thomas K Woolen Mill where my grandfather Orville Gardner was the night watchman then millwright from the 1930s until his death in the 1960s. My father slept in the wool blankets and uniforms made for the troops during World War II as well as enjoyed salmon every night caught in Mill Creek which kept the family alive during a time when food was scarce. The church my grandmother attended was moved to the grounds later as well. I have attended weddings of friends and family here as well.

If do you need venue for wedding or any party- great place.Or you just want to see history items this is great place. A lot cute small shops and cafe.

Very lovely and amazing historical site. The historical societies that worked on this, did a great job preserving the buildings and other items. The grounds are clean and beautiful. Interesting back story. Definately worth spending a few hours and a few dollars to support this. We had a great time!

Wonderful local historical spot. The old mill is rad. Cool buildings and tours. Also they have events in the big hall and its always cool.

Havent been there since I was 15. It was worth it. For people like me with a sense of history and heritage, it is a fascinating look at what was, because only in understanding our past can we prepare for the future. My only complaint is that many functions carry on simultaneously occur, but its minor in the grand scheme of things. The various shops have fascinating merchandise, and the overall experience was greatly positive.

This is a great Museum and also is our wedding venue! Its a beautiful place

Wonderful place for a wedding venue! Lots of space and all the things you need to ensure your wedding is without issue and as dreamy as you imagined! Also, the acoustics in the Spinning Hall (I believe thats where we were) were fantastic!Also, the Emcee/DJ for this particular wedding was the best! Harmonix Entertainment.Great guy, knows his stuff, knows how to make the whole event go smoothly, very attentive and helpful to his clients throughout the whole evening, no matter if it was in his area of expertise or not.Huge library of music. Superb!I included his info, as well.Absolutely recommend this venue and that DJ!!!

Took two grandchildren to the Sheep to Shawl annual event. What a great way to spend time with children! Chance to meet alpacas and llamas, Angora rabbits too. We loved the Oregon Hazelnut ice cream! We visited the antique automobiles and the old woolen mill. Docents were excellent, engaging the young visitors. We spent hours there. Also great craft activities for children- it was all free. What a wonderful cultural resource for Salem!

Great friendly staff. A ton of history to be observed on site.

Visited and toured with the help of a living historian the wool mill.The equipment is still mostly operational. Millwrigths visit the site and maintain the equipment. Old school lathe from the 1850s blew my mind; ive only seen those rusted out in someones yard.

Went here for a field trip. One of the tour guides was extremely rude to the kids. None of the tours included any of the cool machinery that they would have been fascinated with, but instead, took us through the houses where they are told not to touch anything, which is tough for first and third graders. Its pretty, but not a place for kids.

Fun place to walk around. They have gift shops inside and a cute restaurant. Pretty location with a lot of red and white buildings

It was fun and informative. Tours of the buildings and mill was very cool

Loved our visit! I learned so much about the area and about the mill process. The tour had many interactive pieces which added to the experience. There is so much to see so give yourself time. We like to read all the signage and our visit took about 3 hours. Wonderful place to stop! Staff were very friendly. The shops were also fun to check out at the end.

Absolutely love this place and highly recommend checking it out. Been to many events here over the years, including the Christmas Lights recently. Very clean place and very friendly staff. Enjoyable to walk around and learn some interesting bits of Salems history.

Great place to learn about textiles and how we lived in the 1800s. Small cafe and artisan gift shops.

I feel sad for the retail stores and why more children are not being exposed to the craftsmanship and being exposed to State Capital and railroad????

Nice little museum, interesting history and exhibits on pioneering missionaries around Salem and Marion county and the establishment of a textile mill there. There is some limited associated Native American history mostly in one area kind of pushed off to the side in the main building as I recall. You can go into several old buildings of the period on site (youll get a key with your admission). Also you can go into the textile mill building. If you want to see one of the old automated looms in action and no staff are there, call the front desk on your cell and theyll send someone to turn it on (albeit briefly) for you to watch. I visited in November.

It was my first visit to the Willamette Heritage Center & Wool Building. I am very interested in Oregon history & my husband & I loved walking around the grounds & the mill. We didnt want to pay to tour the Heritage Center, but there was plenty to enjoy for free.

Went for the yarn store inside. They where closed despite the door and the desk saying they should be open. Really made me mad because i was so excited to go in and look. From the window it looked like they had some good colors and yarns but cant definitely say.

Beautiful here, like the old mill building and glass elevator...

Oregon Trail life its one of the best events

This place is a wonderful event venue! Charm, character and history all wrapped up together! Lots of space - it can be configured easily to fit your needs.

Very interesting, has active machinery.

This is a very interesting collection of buildings that are each a small museum on their own that tell about an early industry in Salem. The early hydropower display is particularly interesting. There is a holiday light display in season where various groups have demonstrations. The garden scale railroad and blacksmith displays are favorites of mine.

Big open space on their 3rd floor. This Mill is a old memory of what it was. But now is use for conference and events.

Nice place to explore Oregon history for an afternoon!

Its a great place to see and explore some local history; plus the beautiful grounds and rustic venues are great for events!

One of the fascinating local heritage sites. While the homes have been moved to this location from their original spots, they are still period furnished and kept up very well. The crafty stores are always fun - particularly the book binder. Stop there just to admire his handy work. The mill race is also interesting to see and the mill itself is just a gem. Even if for a picnic, the grounds are beautiful and inviting. While you are there, the Marion County Historical Society is also located there with a wonderful Calapoia exhibit. One of my favorite spots in Salem. Just be mindful of the railroad crossing.

A wonderful piece of history that is still alive!

This is a great venue whether it be for small or larger events! Highly recommend.

20th year of Family Promise in the Willamette Valley. Thank you for all the continuous support of this wonderful program that enriches so many families. Everyone give yourselves a shout of HALLELUJAH.

Great place to have prom and great store but I do have to say it is kindly pricey

Fascinating piece of history, the one tour I went on was entertaining and allowed us to see some of the houses on the property- and it was enjoyable to hear the older guests talk about their memories or stories they heard

Looks fun planning on going

Beautiful place for my friends wedding . We had a great time . The light was beautiful! Great place for all kinds of events ! The staff was friendly and hard working!!

Amazing buildings and history, food wise not so great

Lots of history and beautiful grounds. The self guided walk was not too strenuous. Very peaceful on the day we were there. A good bargain and helpful, friendly staff.

This is always a great place to visit. The historical technology is amazing, and the exhibits are great. My one beef is they no longer have the historical houses arent set up as if people were still living there, that was a good teaching tool.

We loved it had so much fun and the Glasses they had this year were a great addition to the lights it was so fun so glad we went.

Loved spending time here - gift shop, craft exhibits, very nice staff.

Nice place to attend a meeting although it is a bit of a maze to get from point A to point B.

My wife and I really enjoyed our visit the other day. We had a tour guide take us through the factory and he gave us a bunch of information we would not have had of we had gone on our own. He activated son new of the old machines and they were fun to watch. Do to time we explored the homes on our own. Theres lots to read there, so you can easily spend ours there.

Really nice spot. Would give 5 stars if they could warm up the room. Been to two events there in last month. Little cool both times. Dont that dissuade you from going! Just take a sweater!

I went to the Celtic New Year celebration, I had not been there before but its a beautiful place. I plan on going back when its open for tours, I think the history of it is interesting and I would like to know more.

Very interesting window into Oregons history.

Beautiful education center that sets the stage for community events. Wish the café was open as strolling around with some hot tea or coffee on a crisp autumn day would have been ultimate bliss!

This is a place that hosts a number of activities public and private. I have attended wedding anniversaries and Christmas lighting displays here. They also host educational functions. A great place with many purposes.

Very nice how its been redone for retail and arts/crafts space

Great place to enjoy time with the family. Good spot for events, pictures or relaxing.

This old mission mill is a great place to visit. You will learn alot while you are here. Bring the kids. Spend the day. They have a cajun cafe on site too!

Information overload but, a good experience.

Went to see the holiday lights. Lovely. Granddaughters loved it.

The Mill was fantastic . So much info about how the material was made.

The history is very fascinating! My favorite part was the factory building. It was cool to see all the machinery

Its so nice to have a local yarn shop with quality yarns in a variety of competitive prices. I like to see and feel the yarns before I buy them. Teaslewick is a great store that I learned about by word-of-mouth.

Lovely!! Played music for 2 weddings already this year!

Excellent educational place to go and get information about the Salem Willamette valley area back in the day

So overwhelming, yet so inspired. Was amazing to see so much academia in one place.

Very friendly and beautiful grounds. Very flexible with events.

Friend had a wedding here, beautiful venue !

Great history in the building. Great place to host events.

Great venue for small to medium groups. The space is perfect for weddings, socials, and group parties. Ive never had a bad time here!

Love the historic buildings, I have been a number of times for events and always enjoy it.

Interesting self guided tour of an old textile mill.

Very nice historic place. Perfect for weddings if your into old antiquish country style theme buildings.

Great yarn shop, gift shop and historical wool info. Small cafe and pleasant staff.

A must see stop in Salem Oregon...the mills are awesome pieces of history, and the mission to the native populations are also important memberances for the native American culture, and influence of Christianity in early Oregon statehood.

People were very friendly and helpful. What a place to visit

Super cool historical sight in Salem!!

Went here for a wedding on the weekend. The space reserved was magically decorated and brought urban elements in conversation with more traditional architecture. The shops were a fun way for guests to use up time before the reception and the kid attendees loved it. Great grounds and photo locations all over! Beautiful in the evening when the sun sets and the space glows.

An awesome piece of local history. Tours daily

One of our favorite places to visit & to take out of state friends/family to to understand Oregon s early history. Great gift shop & restaurant too!

A lot of history and great staff!

We took a Mill Tour, very interesting and well spent the 45 minutes of this guided tour.

I have been to the Heritage Center many times for both events and tours. It is always a great experience and events here are beautiful. Take a tour here and check out all the history of Salem, you wont be sorry!

A nice and very expensive and elite school. You cant argue with how they teach your kids. Do your kids come out more open minded or indoctrinated.

Great place to visit for all sorts of arts. Take a class or just browse

The lady at the desk and the gift shop were really nice and the houses were really cool and air conditioned

Great place for the knowledge buff. You could spend hours reading everything here. I spent 2 hours just before closing but could have easily stayed at least an hour longer to catch everything I skipped.

Great customer service everyone was so nice. There prices are reasonable for the venues

Fascinating awesome displays, as if time stood still. We loved being able to go all over the grounds at our own pace.A must see !!!

Fascinating look into local history. Dont miss Magic at the Mill Xmas Light displays & activities. Shops offer antiques & other unique items.

Very entertaining knowledgeable tour guide we are going back again and I hope hes there its amazing how wonderful it was back in the day

Good place to hold the meeting I attended.

Loads of fun and history. It is really like walking through time and yet you can enjoy a very modern event here as well.

Our family recently held my Mothers Celebration of Life in the Dye Room. The room was perfect for the occasion and the staff was available to assist with everything. The hardwood floors and open beamed ceiling were only made more beautiful by the twinkling lights. The room was spacious and yet not too big so it felt intimate. The price was totally reasonable and the staff accommodating to whatever configuration was needed. They also coordinated with our caterer, Sassy Onion, to ensure the proper amount of tables, etc. were ordered. I would highly recommend this location to anyone and hope that my family has another occasion to use it in the future. Lisa Brown & Family

There are so many attractions here. Ive mostly been a part of the wedding scene here and they have so many different options to choose from. The whc team works super hard and are great to work with.

What a beautiful place to hold a wedding, a reception, or just a party. It truly is a living musuem. Throughout the building you can relive what it was like to work in a textile mill through the displays, pictures, and narratives placed everywhere. The grounds are well manicured. This is a hidden gem in the heart of Salem.

Went here for a get together in the in the dye building. Was very impressed with everything! There is a ton of history and unique engineering here. Definitely recommend for an afternoon of adventure or for hosting an event at a really cool place.

Great tour, glad they were able to save all those great machines.....

Thoroughly enjoyed this indoor/outdoor museum. Most of the original 1800-1900 equipment is still in place. Although the mill first produced wood and grain, it became primarily a wool processing mill. I learned an incredible amount. There are so many steps in the process from sheep wool to fabric. Several historic buildings have been moved to the site from other locations and restored. At the end of the tour I fed the ducks. Shops and restaurants at the back of the main building were a bonus. Was there 2.5 hours. Money well spent!

This is a great place to learn about the early history of Salem. From the first missionaries to the wool mill this was a very interesting and informative tour.

I really enjoyed all the history they share here. They have original buildings from the 1800s and even offer tours.

Beautiful

Great museum! Lots of walking and it shows many different aspects of our local history.

Love it Woolen Mills very educational nice place to visit

I truly enjoy stopping here to enjoy the beauty of the grounds plus its the LAST known Yarn store in Salem. (Non-big-box that is...)

I love the krewe soul southern cafe here, and the scenery is nice to look at and walk around there are ducks and you can feed them.

Interesting history, equipment, articles on display. 2nd floor event room very clean and lots of windows for natural light.